It’s my stop on the blog tour for Matt Johnsons’ second gritty crime thriller, Deadly Game and I am delighted to share my review with you.

But first, here’s the blurb . . .

ORENDA BOOKS (20 Feb. 2017)

Reeling from the attempts on his life and that of his family, Police Inspector Robert Finlay returns to work to discover that any hope of a peaceful existence has been dashed. Assigned to investigate the Eastern European sex-slave industry just as a key witness is murdered, Finlay, along with his new partner Nina Brasov, finds himself facing a ruthless criminal gang, determined to keep control of the traffic of people into the UK. On the home front, Finlay’s efforts to protect his wife and child may have been in vain, as an MI5 protection officer uncovers a covert secret service operation that threatens them all… Picking up where the bestselling Wicked Game left off, Deadly Game sees Matt Johnson’s damaged hero fighting on two fronts. Aided by new allies, he must not only protect his family but save a colleague from an unseen enemy … and a shocking fate.

What a bloody book!

Deadly Game is the sequel to Wicked Game, Matt’s debut novel and what a sequel it is!

Having recently had the pleasure of meeting Matt and listening to him speaking about where his writing journey began, I have a deeper understanding and appreciation for his work than I have for many other authors.

Matt HAS been there and done that. And it so apparent in his writing. Bringing these disturbing to the pages of his books cannot be an easy but Matt does it with an elegance and grace that absolutely must be admired.

Robert Finlay is back and hoping for a quieter life following the traumas he endured in Wicked Game, but life doesn’t really work that, just when you think you can’t take anymore, you are thrown a curve ball and have to dig deeper than you thought possible to overcome it.

Dealing with some extremely hard-hitting subjects, Deadly Game is not for the faint-hearted, but for those who can stomach the grittiest subjects in crime, this is definitely a book you need to add to your TBR pile and you need to do it now!

Massive thanks to Karen and the team at Orenda for my review copy – you just keep hitting me with these #SleepStealers!! I absolutely cannot wait for book three!!!!

Be sure to follow the rest of the tour where you will find some great guest posts with Matt:

About the author . . .

Matt Johnson served as a soldier and Metropolitan Police officer for twenty-five years.

Blown off his feet at the London Baltic Exchange bombing in 1992, one of the first police officers on the scene of the 1982 Regent’s Park bombing, Matt was also at the Libyan People’s Bureau shooting in 1984 where he escorted his mortally wounded friend and colleague, Yvonne Fletcher, to hospital.

Hidden wounds took their toll. In 1999, Matt was discharged from the police with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Whilst undergoing treatment, he was encouraged by his counsellor to write about his career and his experience of murders, shootings and terrorism.

One evening, Matt sat at his computer and started to weave these notes into a work of fiction that he described as having a tremendously cathartic effect on his own condition. He has used his detailed knowledge and memory to create what has been described by many readers as a fast paced, exciting and authentic tale of modern day policing.

Matt Johnson is living proof that PTSD is a condition that can be controlled and overcome with the right help and support. He has been described by many fans as an inspiration to fellow sufferers.

A keen biker, Matt rides a ’99 Harley Davidson Fatboy and is patron to the UK based ‘Armed Forces Bikers’ charity. He is also patron to a newly-formed charity, ‘Shoeboxes for our Heroes’.

In his spare time Matt keeps honey bees and produces his own honey. He scuba dives, collects unusual hats and enjoys hill-walking with his three dogs at his home in Wales near the Brecon Beacons.

Matt is now represented by James Wills at Watson-Little Literary Agents in London. He is available for interview either through Watson Little and can be contacted by email mattjohnson57@hotmail.co.uk and through twitter @Matt_Johnson_UK .